The Sacrifice
by MiyukiTanji1826
Summary: A young girl in Amestris is found who has been missing for twelve years. But her past is somewhat of a mystery. Only two people know her and have sworn to protect her from the many people after her. One of the many questions everyone has is why are they after her? However, there is one person who knows something. Can they find this person in time to save her or will she be caught?
1. Alchemy's Creation

"How could you do this to me? Did I not give you everything you wanted?" a girl screams.

A gun shot rings through me head, a thud, and a girl had been killed. And that was my sister.

"And now it is time for you Stone," he says as I am lifted from the ground where I had been sitting. I was blindfolded and couldn't see how my sister died or where she stood, but I know that I am alone now. My arms aren't tied together, but I won't dare move them. I know from experience that if I do, I will be beaten. The man throws me on the ground and my head hits the pavement. I can't breath and my head is spinning. And this man, I don't even know who he is. I've never met him personally, but I do know that he is the cause for all of the awful things that have happened to me in my lifetime.

I feel someone sit me up and take the blind off. I squint my eyes as the Sun blinds me. Soon. Though, a shadow creeps over my body allowing me to see the man I have never seen. The man is tall, about six foot, and has short hair the color of the sun. He is muscular and has a gun in his hand.

"Do you know who I am?" he asks in a semi-deep voice. If I wasn't about to kill him, I would go so far as to say a romantic deep voice. I would only guess he was in his late twenties or at least thirty at most.

"No," I say quickly.

"Then let me make it clear that I am your savior. The one that will care for you and keep you out of harms way."

"Then where is my sister?" I ask.

He looks sad for a moment and says, "She was shot by a traitor of mine, but he has been taken care of. I won't let anything harm you, I promise."

He apparently forgot that I know a lot of alchemy. In fact, where I come from people say I'm like the some man named Hohenheim, but I ignore it because no one can prove that he ever existed. But this man before me is careless because I drew a transmutation circle when I hit my head, and my hand can easily reach it. I placed it under a weed grown in between the concrete where he couldn't see it.

"Alright Vale," I say since I don't know his real name, "you may not know how powerful I am, but it would be foolish of me to think you didn't know the one thing that is dear to me, which just happened to be my sister, and try to use her against me. And it would be foolish of you to not think that I don't plan to kill you for do so."

"Then I suppose you don't believe me," he says with an unhappy face. "Then there is no sense in dragging this on. You either cooperate with me or I will have to punish you. Fair enough?" he asks with a sick smile on his face.

"Yeah, but I like to think one thing. And that is-"

I jump over to my right side and activate my transmutation circle. A bright light appears and then an electric current goes through the ground and shocks Vale and his men. A shot is fired and misses me by only a few inches. I get up and swiftly dance away, mocking these men in any way possible. but something catches my eye. I look through the dust and see a body lying on the ground motionless. I stop and realize that it is my sister. But my attack was only going to work long enough for me to escape, not long enough for me to get her out as well.

"Get her now!" Vale shouts at his men. They run towards me, but I quickly draw another circle. This time I make the earth split. As I watch the men fall to their death, I fell sorry for them and make a ridge to catch them so they won't die and leave their families to fend for themselves. I'm just that kind of person who can't stand to watch people die. However, Vale will be an exception.

I look back to my sister and see she is still there. I run to her and feel for her pulse. There isn't much of one, but I think I can help her. I look her over and see that her beautiful dress that our mother gave her just before our family died is covered in blood. I notice there is more than just one bullet wound, too. I don't know if I can save her now, but I have to try. I look to see if Vale is still around. I don't see him or anyone else, so I glance around to see if I can find anything I can use to stop the bleeding. I get up, but feel someone grab my ankle.

"St-one," someone whispers. I look down and see my sister just barely alive trying to tell me something. I kneel down and brush her hair out of her eyes.

"Hey sis, I will save you. I promise," I say trying to make her feel better. But I can tell I am too late.

"You need to find a man by the name of Maes Hughes. He works in Central Command. He can help y-" She coughs violently, and blood drips from her mouth.

"Sis, you need to be still or I can't hel-"

"I won't make it and you know that. Look for a man by the name of Mustang." She coughs once more and I can tell she is upon her last breathe. "They know people like you. One is a boy called full…"

Her grip on my leg is gone and her pulse fades. I pull her into my arms and I cry. She is all I have had for twelve years. Now I have to let her go.

"Sis, please wake up. Please!" I scream. I cry and cry, but I can do nothing to save her. I would attempt the biggest taboo, but I know the cost of human transmutation. I lost my family to it. All except for sis. I just wanted to bring back my sweet puppy, but I was only three. I didn't understand that one consequence. Normally something is taken from your body, but it took my family instead.

I get up and look around. There are no people around. The ground is concrete other than a little area near a wall to my right and the whole in the ground I created. There are concrete walls all around me for as far as I can see, but it is mainly a bare landscape. I can see the sun and a few clouds, and it seems as though that there might be a city near by due to the reflection off of the clouds, but I can't really tell. I decide to bury my sister in the grassy area. I use alchemy to make a grave and I wrap her in my dress and my jacket because I have nothing else. I am grateful that I have a tank top and a pair of Capri on under the dress or I wouldn't have anything to wrap her in. And I have my favorite combat boots on that she gave me…

I bury her and I stare at the grave for a while. I cry because I couldn't do anything to have saved her, but I must follow out her will. I look up to the sky to see what time it is. The sun is rising from the east so I assume that it is between seven and nine in the morning.

"Hey, miss, are you okay?" I hear a squeaky male voice shout. I look behind me to see that a young boy, maybe fourteen or fifteen with blond hair in a braid and a red jacket, climbing over the wall and coming towards me. "Please just stay right there," he says as he runs to me quickly.

"Please let him help me," I say under my breath. I fall to my knees from exhaustion. "Please..."

"Hey, hey! Are you OK? What happened?" he asks.

I look at him and ask, "Can you tell me where I am?"

"You are only about five miles from Central. Can I ask who you are and what happened?"

"I don't know what to tell you, really. It's too long of a story." I glance back at my sister's grave and then back to him. "I suppose alchemy's greatest taboo for bringing back the dead is for more than one reason."

He gives me a strange look and says, "What do you mean? Are you an alchemist?"

"Are you?"

"I asked you first," he says in protest.

"You are an alchemist which makes you 'a dog of the military'. Your watch kinda gave it away," I say as I glance from his waist to his shocked face. "And, yes, I am an alchemist. But I will not tell you anymore until I know that I can trust you."

"Hey, you can trust me. Besides," he says with a laugh, "the people of Central and of the East love me. I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Wait Fullmetal? Sister, is it…" I look at him and then at her grave as I remember what her last words were.

"Did I say something?" Edward asks as he taps my shoulder.

I turn around and ask, "Do you know a Maes Hughes or a Mustang?"

"Well yeah, it's hard not to."

"Can you please take me to them. I will tell you everything I can as we go."

"Alright, come on."

Edward helps me stand, but I immediately fall. He catches me around my waist and puts my arm around his neck to help support me as we start to walk to town. It is prettier out here. There are trees and grass everywhere. Flowers too.

"So, what is your name?" Edward asks me.

"To tell you the truth, I don't remember. I was kidnapped when I was three and been I have been missing for so long that all anyone had ever called me was Stone."

"What the hell does that mean?" he asks with a confused expression.

"Well, I don't really know." He has a surprised look on his face, but I continue. "The people who have been after me for so long always say that I am the most important part of something so old that many people think it a myth. It isn't a great life, and now she is dead…"

"That was your sister? I'm so sorry. I know how it feels to only have that one person left. I have a younger brother. My mother is dead and my father is gone. I became a state alchemist to help take care of us."

"When did she die?" I ask.

"When I was nine. Al, my brother, was only eight."

It became quiet and a sad mood came over us. "She was eighteen and I am only fourteen. A big age difference, but we still loved each other. How old are you?" I ask.

Edward chuckles and says, "What do you think I am?"

"Fourteen?"

"I'm fifteen. So, what can I call you?" Edward says, quickly changing the subject.

"Anything you like."

He thinks for a moment. "How about Eliza?"

"Hmm… I suppose for now it will work."

"What was her name? Your sister."

"I don't know. Like I said, I haven't heard my name or hers in so long that I just can't remember hardly anything other than alchemy."

"Well, then this might be hard for us to help you."

We walk the rest of the way in silence. I take in all the beautiful scenery even while we are in the city. As we get further into the city, I start to walk on my own so I am not too much of a burden to him. The buildings are tall and there are people everywhere. And in the center of the city, a building that Edward calls Central Command stands there. We walk in and the first person to rush towards us is a boy in a suit of armor.

"What happened?" the boy asks.

"I saved someone," Edward says with a smile.

"I bet that you are Edward's younger brother Al, right?" I ask interrupting their conversation.

"Wait, how did you know he was my brother?" Edward asks me. "I never mentioned that he was in a suit of armor."

"You didn't have to. I noticed your expression when I mentioned alchemy's greatest taboo and that I am an alchemist. Your arm and leg helped as well. Just be glad you didn't attempt it when you were three," I say as I look down to the ground. "Oh, and I may not remember my own life, but I can easily tell things about other people."

"So then you already knew that Al was-" Edward cuts off quickly and puts his arm around me. "You were young. I'm sure-"

"You're sure about what?" I say in an angry temper. "Instead of losing something like and arm or leg, I lost my whole family. You don't know what that is like. And I hope you never do."

"I'm sorry," Al says quietly.

I look up at him, since he is taller than me, and see that even without an actual face that he is a little sad. "Yeah, I'm sorry too for you. Anyhow, let's just find Mustang and Hughes. I need to talk to them."

"Well, come on then," Edward says.

**This is my first story involving FMA, but my third story all together. I hope you have enjoyed it and are eagerly waiting for the next chapter. Please review this so I know that people actually enjoy this. You can simply say "Great" or something like that. It doesn't have to be a big review, just a few words will suffice. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Half Past Noon

We leave the entrance and walk up a few stairs. I see several people in military uniforms and wonder how hard it would be to become one of them. I could start a new life, and maybe I would be protected as well. I wouldn't have to worry about a lot of things like I normally do.

"Edward, you finally found yourself a girl!" a man with a little shaggy beard, a seven-inch bang in his face, black hair, and glasses says as he walks out of a room.

"She is not my girlfriend. I just met her," Edward says becoming enraged. "She needs to talk to you Maes, and Roy as well."

Maes looks me over and smiles. "It's nice to finally see you again, Miss Dawn," he says and bows.

I look all around. "Ummm, are you talking to me?" I ask, very confused.

Maes looks at me and laughs slightly. "Your sister said you might not remember your name. Where is she by the way?" he asks.

I look at him and then to the floor. "He killed her," I say, guilt rising in my stomach.

"Edward!" Maes screams.

"Not him," I say realizing where this is going. "I call him Vale. I don't know his name. But I buried her just a little bit before Edward showed up."

"I didn't make it in time to help," Edward says with a depressed face.

Maes's face looks pale all of a sudden. "What did he look like Dawn?"

"He is about six-foot, has short hair close to the color of the sun and is very muscular," I say.

"I saw him leaving where you were. Damn, if I had known that was him I would've killed him," Edward says as he punches the wall.

"It isn't your fault. I have a feeling he isn't done with me. You can get your chance to beat the crap out of him later," I say patting him on the back. We both smile at each other and laugh.

"Come in here," Maes says as he opens the door that he recently exited. We walk in and a man with black hair and a military uniform is sitting at a desk. "She's here, Roy, but she's alone."

The man called Roy stands up immediately. "Alone. Where is-"

"Roy…" They give each other glances. "Introduce yourself."

Roy walks over to me and kisses my hand. I don't know what to do other than blush. "My name is Roy Mustang. Maes and I are here to help you as much as we can, Dawn. Your days of being tortured are over. We promised your sister we would help and that is what we are going to do."

"How did you know my sister?" I ask.

"Yeah, I've never even heard of her or seen her before. How did you two come to know her?" Edward says.

"Sit down and we will explain as much as we can," Maes says.

Roy gestures to a couch and I sit down in the middle. Roy sits on my left side, Edward on my right, Al stands up and Maes sits on the table in front of us.

"We met your sister only a week after the war in Ishbal ended. We were on our way back to Central when we saw this blinding light and heard several screams. We were alone and rushed over to see what had happened," Maes says.

"It wasn't pretty, but I'm sure you remember that much," Roy says. I look at him and I want to cry.

"Yeah, I remember. That isn't something you can just forget, am I right Edward?" I now look to him.

"Yeah," was all he could say.

"Anyway," Roy continues, "you were passed out in the middle of a bunch of clothes and your sister Marice was crying. When we asked her what had happened, she said that you had committed the worst taboo among all alchemists. I knew exactly what she meant and I walked over to you. You were calling out to people in your sleep. I picked you up and carried you over to your sister. I asked her if she was okay, but all she could say was that they were dead."

It grew quiet for a moment before anyone could say anything. Then Maes began to speak again. "We figured she meant your family because she appeared too young to have you as her daughter. We asked her if we could do anything to help."

"What did she say?" I ask.

"She asked if we could take care of the two of you," Maes says.

"And of course he couldn't say no," Roy says with a smile. "He has the kindest heart I know. But then she decided it would be best if the two of you stayed where you were. She offered to let us stay for the night, since it was late, and we couldn't say no."

"I can't say I remember anything from then. I remember the next day that our home was on fire and I was being taken away. I can faintly remember three people escaping just as I lost sight of the house. I guess that was you two and sis," I say.

"Yes, you were taken early that morning and they tried to kill the rest of us," Maes says. "We escaped and followed you. Once we saved you, we thought it best if we moved you close to Central, but that was before we knew what we had gotten ourselves into." He paused for a second and looked at Roy. "Roy, finish the rest. I really need to be getting back to my office before I get in deep trouble again."

"All right, see you," Roy says. Maes waves goodbye as he leaves and Roy continues the story.

"Not too long after you had been living here were you kidnapped again. Marice wouldn't let us help save you, but you were saved. However, we only found out through a letter. She said she wouldn't come back again, but would keep in touch with us both. Maybe a year or so later we stopped getting letters. We were afraid that something bad had happened, but we knew we would have to hope for the best. After a few years, she came by herself and asked for help. She told us what had been going on for so long and why she hadn't written to us. She only asked that a month before you turned fifteen that you live here in Central. She said that we were the only one's she could trust.

"She also mentioned you training with the Fullmetal Alchemist, which is you Ed, and we said it would be fine. You and your sister were to stay with Maes, just to be safe, and come with him to work every morning. Then you, Dawn, would come to my office after you arrived here, beginning your training."

"So, that's why she wanted me to find you. Why hadn't she already told me this?" I say to myself.

"She didn't want to worry you," Roy says.

"Hey, you'll be fine here. And I'll even show you around town if you want me to," Edward says.

"I'll come too," Al joins in.

"How can I say no. Besides," I say as I get up, "I've been tied up and hidden away for so long, I would love to see what a real city looks like."

"Then come on," they both say as they drag me out of the door.

We rush out of the building and into the city. I would say that it is about noon, or close to it because of the increased people walking around. Most of them are by themselves, but a few are with friends and family members. Many of the people just turn once they see us and whisper like we are criminals or something. Maybe they don't like Ed and Al, or they don't like me. But how could they know me? I don't really care though.

"Hey, do you have any clothes to wear?" Al asks me.

"No, I just have the ones I'm wearing. Why?" I ask as we walk into a store.

"Because we are going to get you some," Edward says.

"Ha! You are going to get me clothes!" I say. I laugh and laugh, but then I realize that they aren't kidding. "What are you going to get me?" I ask, fearfully.

"Just go pick something out and we'll get it for you," Ed says.

"Yep, whatever you want," Al says happily.

I stare at them for a moment. I don't even remember the last time I went shopping, if ever. I walk away from them, occasionally looking back to see if they were still there, and continued looking at all the clothes that there were.

I finally find something that I like and I let Ed and Al look at it.

"Go try it on," they both say.

"I don't know. I mean-"

"GO TRY IT ON!" Al yells. Ed and I both stare at him.

"Alphonse, are you OK?" Ed asks Al slowly.

"She hasn't had anything for a while, and I think she would look nice in it. Besides, I know you think the same thing, brother," Al says with a hint of humor.

"What do you mean by that?!" Edward shouts hysterically.

As they argue, I walk into the dressing room and try the outfit on. I look in the mirror and really take in what I look like since I haven't really seen myself in so long.

My hair is just past my elbows and is a golden blond color, very close to Edward's hair, my face has freckles across my nose and cheeks and my skin is pale, my face isn't bony, but it isn't plump. To be honest, I look like a girl of about twenty even though I'm not, mainly because of how well-developed I am for my age I suppose. My outfit is technically a dress with thin straps. It comes down to my knees and is a baby blue color. Just a normal dress, nothing fancy.

"Hey, are you done yet?" Ed says behind the door to my dressing room.

"Yeah, but I don't think it looks good on me," I say as I open the door. I look at them both and see that their mouths are wide open, metaphorically for Alphonse. "Is something wrong?"

They don't say anything.

"Hey, guys, are you still with me?"

No response.

"I think they are dumbfounded," a woman says as she walks up to us. She is a woman of about her thirties and very beautiful as well. "It seems as though they have nothing to say other than gaze at how beautiful you look. And I agree with them."

"Thank you," I say shyly.

"Oh, you're quite welcome. And if you would like to become a model, just give me a call," she says as she hands me a business card. "You will always be welcome."

She walks away as graceful as a woman can walk. I look down at the card and read;

_Cassandra's Modeling Agency_

"Oh wow, I just got invited to be a model," I say looking at Edward and Alphonse, but they hadn't even moved and inch since I had walked out. "You boys are hopeless. If I can't wear something that you can't talk to me in, then why even bother to buy it?"

I go to walk back into the room when Ed says, "Wait, you can have it. It's just we didn't know how… how… umm…"

"You _do_ think she's beautiful," Al teases.

"Shut up Al!" Ed half shouts half whispers.

I laugh. I say to myself as I watch them argue, "You too really are brothers. Heh, and you both care about each other too." I try once again to go change my clothes, but Ed stops me before I can even open the door.

"Hey, why don't you just wear it out of here. We can pay for it like that."

"Are you sure they don't mind?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Now grab those clothes and you can either keep them or you can throw them away, your choice."

Ed walks up to the counter and pays for my dress and Al stays with me while I get my clothes.

"Al, I know these clothes may seem like they need to be thrown away, but they were my sister's clothes and I just can't part with them. My necklace and bracelet are the other two things that were hers. I took them off of her when I buried her so I would have something that reminds me of her. Do you think that is strange?" I ask.

"No, I don't," Al says sweetly.

"OK." We walk up front and meet Edward at the door.

"Are you ready?" Ed asks me.

"Where are we off too now?" I ask.

"To get something to eat. I'm sure you are hungry. And it is such a lovely time of day. I think it would be a great time to get something to eat."

"Alright," I say.

We leave the store and walk a few blocks to get to this _one _café that he thinks is the best of _all _the others around Central. I don't know if it has the best food, but I do know that it is picturesque. It has this old Italian theme that makes me think of something out of a fairy tale. I don't know how to explain it other than that. It is just gorgeous.

"Well, what do you think?" Edward asks me as we go inside the café.

"It is amazing," I say. "And if you are trying to impress me, it is coming close to working."

Ed blushes madly, and I giggle just a little bit. It is so funny how he acts around me. We walk up to order our food and I can smell an aroma that is to die for.

"So, what do you want?" Ed asks.

I take a deep breath and say, "Just pick something. I don't care at all. It all looks and smells so good that I can't choose."

"All right, then we will both have the…"

"Oh, that was delicious," I say as I finish the food Ed ordered us. I look over at Al and feel horribly sorry for him. Because of what they did so long ago, Al has no body other than a suit of armor.

"So, now what do we do?" I ask trying not to think of the past anymore.

"Hmm, well we could do several things, but I think Roy and Maes wanted you back two or three hours ago. And if we don't get back soon Maes will be worrying about us. Come on, we can come back tomorrow if you want to," Ed says. I suppose he noticed my sad, little face.

"OK, but why do we have to go back. Can't we just like, I don't know, go somewhere else? I mean, what am I suppose to do while I am there? Just sit around and do nothing like a bored little girl? No thank you. I would rather be out on my own rather than be locked up like a bird again," I say. I get up before they have time to argue and walk off in the opposite direction of Central.

"Hey, Dawn, wait up!" they shout from behind me.

"Go away," I say and I take off in a blazing run. I run as fast as I can, but I realize too late that I am severely lost. "Crap, now what do I do?" I ask myself. I look around and I don't see one thing or person I recognize, but I wouldn't know it at all anyway... I see an ally and walk down it. I then remember that Roy warned me not to go anywhere in the city without someone with me just as I left his office. But who cares, right? I continue to walk, but I don't seem to be getting anywhere.

"Dawn, stop," someone shouts from behind me. I look around and see that Ed is right there.

"We have you surrounded Dawn," Al says. I turn back around and see that he was right. Ed was behind me and Al was in front of me.

"Fine," I say and sigh. "I'll go back, I'll go back."

"Not with them you won't," someone says from above. I look up and see Vale from earlier jumping down from the roof of a building.

"Move it Dawn!" Ed yells as he and Al both run towards me. But I can't do anything. I can't even feel my legs.

Vale lands in front of me and I can tell I am about to die. He stares at me and takes his guns and points them at Ed and Al. He shoots Ed in his left shoulder and shoots Al with a net. I am still just standing here, frozen stiff, and Vale hasn't taken his eyes away from me yet.

"You will regret trying to kill me," Vale says as he walks towards me.

"Dawn, get away from him," Alphonse screams.

I hear him scream, but I can't do a thing. I can barely breathe. Vale just keeps getting closer and closer. He is so close that I can see every single detail on his face. I want to scream, I want to run, but I can't. I want to kill him so much too, but I think it will be me in a puddle of blood rather than him.

"DAWN! GET DOWN!" Ed screams.

**Chapter 2 is done with. I hope you enjoyed it. But to inform you readers if you haven't already noticed, I've changed the time period of the Ishbal War just s little. My internet isn't working right and I can't check the info I need. However, I think it is fine the way it is. If you have time, please leave a review. A million thanks!**


	3. Talent's Of Alchemists

**OK, just realized that this chapter got messed up when I tried to post it. I don't know why and I am sooooooooo sorry for any confusion. It has done this before, so if anyone notices any thing else confusing, please PM me. It would be greatly appreciated.**

I'm scared to listen to Ed, but I hit the ground immediately. I hear something snap and a fire quickly materializes above me. I feel its heat as it heads toward Vale and I can't help, but feel as though he is still towering over me so I look up slightly and see that it hasn't even touched him. In fact, he has a red glow around him. When the fire disappears, the red glow that must be a shield disappears.

Vale chuckles lowly and glares at the person who had tried to burn him. "Did you really think that you could kill me?" His voice is a little frightening; it sounds much like thunder the way it echoes in the alley. "You must be a fool to think that I would die so easily." He looks back to me and smiles. "I will not die until I have you."

I look into Vale's eyes and see nothing but blackness; no color in his eyes, not even the slightest hint of happiness or sadness; they are just cold and evil. He reaches for me, but someone shoots him. Again the glow appears and stops the bullet. Ignoring attempts to kill him, Vale continues to reach for me and instead of screaming, I cry. I shut my eyes and curl into a ball.

I don't understand what is going on, and I just want it to end. More than anything would I just love to walk around and not worry about someone trying to kill me. Suddenly, I feel a hand upon my shoulder. I don't move or breathe because I know I let my guard down.

"Dawn, are you ok?" a familiar voice asks me.

I look up and see Roy standing above me. "I thought he was… I thought I was…" I can't finish. I jump up to hug him and cry. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry this happened to you. From now on you will stay with me. Just to be safe," Roy says and pats me on the back.

I look through my tears and see Maes and Al helping Edward into the back of an ambulance. "Is Ed going to be OK, Roy?" I ask in a chocked voice.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. You need to see the ambulance as well, just to make sure you didn't break something."

Roy lets me go and we walk over to the ambulance. I look around and see a lot of military people standing around. I look at him and ask, "What are they all doing here?"

Roy smiles and says, "You are under military protection, and this is now considered a crime scene. That just happens sometimes." He shrugs his shoulders and sits down on the end of the ambulance. "It could be worse."

"How the… how could it be worse?" I ask a little ticked and trying my best not to curse.

"He could have gotten you and you could have been dead." Roy gives me a sharp look. "I won't allow that to happen, though."

I sigh. "I guess you are right," I say to myself. Ed opens the door of the ambulance and knocks Roy on the ground. Ed laughs and lets me in. He shuts the door and Roy starts to yell at him. I laugh and feel happy for once in my life. I sit down and I let the paramedic make sure that there isn't anything wrong with me.

I exit the ambulance and see Roy, Maes, Ed and Al, and some other people standing there waiting for me.

"Dawn," Maes says, "I want you to meet some people. Introduce yourselves."

A woman with blond hair in a bun and bangs walks out first. "I am Riza Hawkeye. I work with Colonel Mustang and I am here to help as much as possible." She bows and goes back to her position.

A man this time walks up. He has a golden color of hair with bangs and is smoking a cigarette. "Hello miss. My name is Jean Havock. I also work for Mustang." He walks up to me and kisses my hand. "I hope you like it here. I know I will."

I giggle. Roy walks up behind him and drags him away. Ed walks over to me and whispers, "He kinda is a playboy. Watch out."

"All right," I say with a smile.

The next one is sort of small with black hair and glasses. "My name is Kain Fuery. I will be more than glad to help you with anything if you need me."

The next is a little "big" with red hair. "I am Heymans Breda. You give me a job and I'll do it as long as there isn't a dog involved."

The last one has a grayish color of hair and has small eyes. "I am Vato Falman. I may not be able to do what everyone else can, but I can shoot a gun when necessary."

"Well, those are all of my subordinates. They will be here to help you as much as possible. If I am not with you, one of them will be. I promise you that much," Roy says.

"Please don't make promises you can't keep," I say as I look at the sky. I notice that it has grown dark over the last few minutes.

"But it is something I can keep," Roy says.

I look at him with an angry face. "Just don't make promises. That is the best way to live; a life with no promises broken and nothing to be ashamed of. Don't you agree?"

I leave and jog towards Central. They follow me, but I just want to be somewhere safe right now. But I am stopped by Ed who finally catches up with me.

"You do know we are here for you, right? If there is anything you want to talk about-"

"Ed, just do me a favor and don't promise anyone anything." I walk around him furiously.

"But why?" Ed asks.

I stop and look at him and try not to cry, but I can't stop it. "Because, when you promise someone that you are going to save them and you fail, it hurts like hell Ed!" I shout.

I turn around and run. I know what happened the last time I ran, but I don't want anyone else to see me cry. The last thing I promised was that I would save my sister from dieing.

I feel a drop of water on my head. I look up and see that it is beginning to rain, slowly at first, but now coming down in a poring rampage. I look behind and I see that the others are nowhere in sight.

"Maybe I'll wait for 'em," I say to myself. I take cover under a canopy just as a black car pulls up. A man of about his fifties gets out. He looks at me and I observe that he has an eye patch over his left eye.

"Are you Miss Dawn Mustang?" the man asks me.

I know my first name, but where did "Mustang" come from. "Yes," I say slowly.

"I am Fuhrer King Bradley. I heard of what had happened earlier and I thought I would try to catch you and ask if you were alright. Are you?"

I stare at him. I don't know a thing about this town or who he is. "Umm, who are you?" I ask.

Bradley laughs. "I am sorry. I forgot you aren't from around here. I am the one who runs this country. You can trust me. I don't bite." He smiles, but I still don't know how _much_ I can trust him.

"How do you know me?" I ask, still very confused and cautious.

"Roy and Maes talked to me about you and how they had met you. I said it would be fine if you stayed at command. It isn't every day a beautiful young lady, such as yourself, comes into town."

"Dawn, there you are," Roy says. He looks out of breath.

"Look who I found, or who found me," I say pointing to Fuhrer King Bradley.

"Oh! Fuhrer King Bradley. What are you doing out here?" Roy asks quickly.

"I heard about what had happened. I assume everything is fine. Am I correct?" I look behind Roy and see the others running up.

"Everything is fine," Roy says. "We didn't get him, but he didn't get her either."

"Good. Now if you will excuse me, I must get some things before I go back to my office."

Bradley walks into the store behind me and the others give me the evilest glare known to mankind.

"Hehe, sorry," I say as I scratch my head.

"Come on," Ed says as he picks me up and carries me away.

"I can walk you know," I say.

"Yeah, but you run away when you walk."

Can't argue with that, can I?

We enter Roy's office and Ed puts me down.

"We wasted a whole three hours chasing after you. Are you happy now?" Ed asks me.

"Yep!" I say cheerily.

"Ugh!" Ed face-palms himself and sits down.

"Oh, shut up Ed," Roy says.

We all grow silent. Nothing is said, but I can tell that everyone probably hates me right now. I look around at everyone's face, and I can tell they are at least pissed. "Um, so…" I don't even know what to say, and no one says anything back. I decide to look through Roy's window at the rain. It falls quickly, but it looks so beautiful as it pours down. "Does it rain often?" I ask.

"In a way it does. Why?" Roy asks me. I glance and see he has a lot of paperwork to do. A _lot_ of paperwork.

"'Cuz I miss the rain. I can't tell you the last time I saw rain. In the past few hours I have seen more sunlight than I have in twelve years altogether, and I have friends, more than I have had my entire life." I look at everyone's reflection in the mirror and see their faces. "But, don't worry. It doesn't bother me." The room becomes quiet once more and I just stare out the window.

I decide to ignore the awkward silence and think about today's events. Mostly good things, but horrible things that get in the way of the good ones. My thoughts soon jump to King Bradley and what he said, saying my last name as Mustang. "Roy," I say, "why did Fuhrer King Bradley call me Dawn Mustang?"

I hear people get up and rush out the door. I don't look back because I don't wanna know what he did to make 'em leave, but it must have been something. I hear him get out of his chair and I see him walk to me. Roy puts his hand on my right shoulder and looks at me. I look up at him and his face his somewhat practiced, you might say, but with a hint of tenseness to it.

"Your sister thought it would be best if you were somehow kin to someone in the military. Maes wanted you to have his last name, but we knew that wouldn't work since you will be staying with me. I am one of the few people that can protect you right now."

"What do you mean by that?" I ask.

"Vale is very powerful. I am an alchemist and I can at least get you to safety if nothing else. Maes is only your average military officer, so he can't do much other than shoot at him, and we know now that bullets don't work."

"What do you mean? Will he not stop even if the military is involved?"

Roy looks out the window, but I don't take my eyes off of him. "No, Dawn, I'm sorry. Now that I have seen him, I can tell he won't give up. All Maes and I want for you is for you to be safe. Can you forgive us?"

"Forgive you for what? You didn't do anything wrong," I say.

Roy looks back at me with a smile. "Thanks." He kisses my forehead and sits back down in his chair. I continue to stare out the window. The others haven't come back in yet and Roy won't say a word. It the atmosphere is kind of weird, mainly because I don't know him well enough and he just kissed my forehead, and the fact that I have his last name. What am I supposed to be, his daughter?! Oh, well. I guess it doesn't matter.

After a few minutes, I watch through the reflection of the window as the door slams open with a big bang and Roy jumps out of his seat. I turn around immediately and I turn very white. The person standing in the doorway is wearing orange clothes; someone from the prison. He had two guns; one pointed at Roy and the other at me.

"Roy, what's going on?" I ask as I backup in to the window.

"Who are you?" Roy asks angrily.

"How could you betray this country by bringing her here?!" the man yells.

"She has done nothing wrong," Roy says as his right hand reaches for his gun.

"Don't move. Put your hands behind your head and take your gloves off," the man orders. I can't even breathe and I watch Roy do as he is told. Roy lays his gloves on his desk along with his gun and puts his hands behind his head. The man looks at me with rage in his eyes.

"You, Stone, I want you to come here," he says. I look to Roy, but he won't even glance at me. "Now!" the man shouts.

I walk over slowly, hoping that Roy will say or do something, but he hasn't. I get the feeling he is useless without his gloves, but I don't even know what they do. When I am within three feet of him, I stop walking towards him.

"I said come here," the man demands.

"No," I say. I look him dead in the eye. I try not to shiver as I say, "I'm not afraid of you."

"Big mistake girly."

The man lifts his gun to my head and starts to pull the trigger. I shut my eyes and hope he doesn't pull it. Without warning someone grabs me and pull me to the ground. The gun goes off and misses me, but I soon hear a scream and I bury my face into the persons chest. I hear someone sheath a sword, but I don't recall one being taken out. I don't bother to open my eyes to see what had happened, though.

"Dawn, listen to me. I don't want you to open your eyes, alright?" Roy says over me, apparently being the one that protected me from the gun.

"OK," I say softly. Roy doesn't offer to get up so neither do I. It may be stupid, but I need someone to hold me right now. Just someone to be close to. I used to have my sister, but now all I have are these people I just met. And I need to know someone cares about me. Just a single person.

"Roy, are you two alright?" someone asks.

"Yes King Bradley. Thank you," Roy replies.

_Fuhrer King Bradley saved me?_ I think to myself. Roy gets up, but I grab onto his arms.

"What's wrong Dawn?" Roy asks me as he kneels back down.

"I thought he was going to kill me, Roy. I thought you weren't going to do anything to save me."

Roy hugs me and says, "No, I knew that King Bradley was here, that is why I didn't do anything. I'm sorry it seemed like that."

"I'm so scared Roy. I want my sister," I cry into his shirt. He pats my back and hugs me. I cry until I can't cry anymore with Roy by my side the whole time. And Fuhrer King Bradley stays in the room with us as well, probably just to make sure no one else tries anything. I feel safer than I have for a very long time. I know they won't let anyone do anything to me. I suppose they are my new family. There is enough of them to count as the ones I… the ones I killed.

"Dawn, I hate to do this to you, but I need to get up. King Bradley is going to watch you for a little bit until this is cleaned up. Is that OK?" Roy says at last.

I haven't even opened my eyes the whole time. "Uh-huh," I mumble.

"Keep your eyes closed," Roy says as he helps me up.

I keep them closed. I know I don't want to see what his room looks like if Fuhrer King Bradley used a sword to kill that guy and they don't want me to look. Roy holds on o me and helps me walk until we get a ways down the hallway away from his room.

"You can open your eyes Dawn," Roy says as he lets go of my arm.

I open my eyes and blink. I have had them closed for a little while and the light is somewhat of a shock. I look at Roy and smile. "Thanks Roy," I say.

"For what?" he asks me with a funny look.

"Nothing," I say. He shrugs his shoulders and walks back to his room. I look at Fuhrer King Bradley. "So, now what do we do?"

Bradley ponders for a moment and says, "Why don't we go to our exam room and you can show me how good you are at alchemy. I've heard a lot about it, but I'd like to see it for myself."

"Heck ya!" I say as I jump into the air. "Let's go."

We walk into a concrete room. "Here we are. Show me your best," King Bradley says.

"Ok." I walk into the middle of the room and turn to face him. I smile and clap my hands together, which I only do for a spectacular show or when I have to. I touch the ground and a tall stool-like table with a series of circles in the middle forms. I then clap my hands once more and touch the middle of the stool with a single finger and a delicate rose appears.

"Bravo Dawn," Fuhrer King Bradley says as he claps. "That was amazing. You have that special talent that Ed has. Are you two kin?" he asks me.

"Umm, I honestly don't know. I had a big family, so I might be. I wouldn't be able to find out though," I say. I pick up the rose and smell it. "You want it?"

"Sure." I give it to him and he smiles. "If only it were real."

"It is real," I say.

King Bradley gives me a curious look. "But how?"

"I don't know. That is just how my alchemy works. I make something and it is real. Like if you wanted a lot of trees or something like that I could make it for you. But, I have to do what I just did and make some kind of platform with those circles on it. Otherwise it won't work."

"What about animals and things like that?" he asks.

"I won't go against alchemy's law. I don't want to do something stupid."

"You are very smart Dawn. I would like to ask you something."

I look at him. "Ask away and I will try to answer."

King Bradley walks close to me. "How would you like to become a state alchemist?"

"Really? Are you serious?" I ask hysterically.

"Yes. And I won't make you take the exams because of how exceptionally talented you are at alchemy."

I am happy. Overly happy in fact. "Thank you so much. Now I have something to show for all my hard work."

"We probably better see if Roy's office is cleaned. We have been gone a while. Come on," he says.

We leave and walk back to Roy's office. I am overjoyed with my new status. I am going to be a state alchemist. How cool!

We get to Roy's door and we find that it is wide open. I look in and Roy is looking out of the window. I walk up behind him and tap his shoulder.

"You OK Roy?" I ask.

Roy turns around and smiles. "I'm fine. I was just thinking. Have you had fun?"

I glance back at Fuhrer King Bradley and he nods. I look up at Roy and say, "I'm going to be a state alchemist, Roy. Isn't that great?!"

Roy smiles. "Do you know what that means?"

"Well duh, I'll be known as "a dog of the military" and I'll I have to fight wars. But it also means I'll be protected against Vale, or whatever his name is."

Roy wraps his arms around me. "Just as long as you know."

"Well, I must be going home. My wife and son are waiting for me. Goodnight Roy, Dawn," Fuhrer King Bradley says.

Roy waves bye. I hear the door shut and Roy lets me go. "Are you sure you want to do this? I can protect you, and you won't-"

"Roy, can I ask you something?" I say. I know that he can protect me, but I have a feeling it will be a great experience to become something for once and not be a damsel in distress.

"Uh, sure," he says uneasily.

"Have you, have you ever…"

"Have I ever what?" he asks. He sits down in his chair and looks at me.

"Have you ever kissed someone before?" I ask. I look out the window because I know what his face looks like and I don't want to see it.

"Yes, why?"

"Wha…what's it like to kiss someone?"

Roy doesn't say anything for a minute or so. I feel as though I just made it really awkward for us.

"It isn't something I can explain, Dawn."

I look at him. "What do you mean?"

"I'd have to show you," Roy says. He looks me in the eyes and I look back at him. The atmosphere is a little tense, but I really shouldn't have asked that question in the first place.

"So…" I say.

"Hmm…" he says with a smile.

**Oooooooohhhhhh! Where is this going to go? Who knows! Please keep reading and thanks for reading so far. Leave a review if you have time and enjoy life!**


	4. Crazy Night

I laugh. "You're messin' with me. Alright, ya got me."

Roy laughs now. "What, did you think I would kiss you? I wouldn't want to ruin your first kiss."

We both laugh until we cry. Then someone knocks on the door, and Roy, with little breath, says, "Come in."

I wipe the tears out of my eyes and watch the door open slowly. Ed walks in along with Al, and they shut the door just as slowly as they had opened it.

"What's wrong?" Roy asks.

Ed looks at Roy. "So, she is going to be a state alchemist too?"

I look at him. "Is that bad?" I ask.

"Do you know what I have been through as a state alchemist?" Ed says as he raises is voice a little.

I sigh. "I'm not doing it because I feel like I have to, Ed…**But I want to live as long as I can**!" I shout at him. "These people are ruthless. They don't care who they hurt or who they kill. Especially when it's your own sister!"

"Dawn…I…I didn't mean…" Ed looks away from me with a hurt look on his face. I know he didn't mean it that way, but I also know he knows what I am feeling right now. Maybe not to the exact same, but we do know each others pain.

"Well, um, how about we, uh…. go watch a movie or something," Roy suggests.

"What kind of movie?" Al asks.

"Hmm, I guess we will just see when we get there. But Ed," Roy says, "We will have to get you a booster seat if you want to go."

"YOU JERK! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE SO I CAN SHOW YOU WHO NEEDS A BOOSTER SEAT!" Ed yells.

Al holds Ed away from Roy so he doesn't start a fight. I get close to Roy's ear and whisper, "Did you really have to go that far?"

"How can I not?" Roy looks at me and laughs. I guess that is just how their relationship is. Mock the other in their height and status.

"That was an amazing movie," I say as we leave the theater.

"Ugh, why did you let _her_ pick something?" Ed complains.

"I thought it was nice," Al says. "It was very emotional, brother."

"Yeah, for a bunch o' girls. We are men," Ed protests.

"Technically boys," I correct. "And I thought it was very romantic. Any woman's dream is to find someone like that."

"Woman? If I can't be a man, you can't be a woman!" Ed shouts.

"Oh, are you jealous I'm more mature than you, Ed? Besides, I can be whatever I want," I say girlishly.

I know why Roy picks on Ed, now. It is so much fun! I look over to Roy, who hasn't said a word, and realize that he is _still_ crying. "Roy, are you ok?"

Roy looks at me and wipes his tears away. "It was so sad, the way they both died. They loved each other so much that they died by each other's side. Now that is the way love should be."

I giggle. I know Ed liked it too, he just won't admit it. "Where to now," I say. "It's getting late and it's windy. I don't want to get sick on my first day of freedom."

"We should be getting home," Roy says, drying his eyes. "I've got to get you a bed made up. And I'm sure you are hungry."

"Just a bit," I say.

Roy and I wave goodbye to Ed and Al and make our way to Roy's car. We get in and Roy drives towards his home in complete silence. I hate silence. It makes me think something is wrong. So I decide to start a conversation.

"Hey Roy, are you married?"

"No."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Do you like supermodels?"

"Yes."

_Perv. _"Have you dated one?"

"No."

"Do you like regular girls?"

"Yes."

"Would you marry a girl?"

"A girl. No. A woman, yes."

We aren't getting very far. "So, what do you do for fun?"

"How many questions are you going to ask me?"

"Until you give me a freakin' answer other than yes and no. Gah! You make it so hard to get to know you."

"Well maybe I don't want you to know me." I get quiet and so does he. "Dawn, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. I-I'm just not used to having a young girl, lady, woman, whatever you wanna be called, around me. Ed is about as young as it goes, and he is a boy."

I look out the window. "It doesn't matter Roy. To tell you the truth, I don't really want to tell you anything about me. Ha! I _can't_ tell you anything about me. There is nothing to-"

"Yes there is," Roy says.

I look at him. "And that would be?"

"Well, you could tell me what your life has been like. That way I would know what you've been through."

"Um, can I tell you later? I don't really want to say right now," I say.

"You still don't trust me?"

"No, I trust anyone my sister trusts, but I… Wait." I look at Roy. "Right before he shot her, she said 'How could you do this to me? Did I not give you everything you wanted?' and I don't know what she means. Do you think he is someone she knew?"

"Let's talk about this when we get home," Roy says.

I sigh and look out the window again. After a few minutes pass, I just can't take the silence anymore. "So…"

"Dawn, do you not like silence?" Roy asks quickly.

"No, no I don't. I've had to deal with it for so long, and now that there is someone to talk to, I can't stand it."

"Well, I suppose I can't argue with that. But," Roy says as the car stops, "we are here, so we can finish talking as soon as we get in."

Roy turns the car off and I get out. We walk in and go up a few stairs until we get to his floor. He unlocks the door and I rush in. When the lights come on, I can see that there isn't much here. All Roy has is a couch, a coffee table, a bookshelf, and a TV in the living room. I walk and I find the kitchen. It is soooo small. The bathroom is just off to the left of the kitchen and his bedroom is behind a door in the living room and isn't big at all. Really, all that fits in it is his bed, a desk, dresser, and a little table beside his bed.

I walk out and look for Roy and find him in the kitchen making something for us to eat. "Roy, you don't have a lot here. Have you just moved or something?"

Roy looks at me then back to the food. "I just spend most of my time with the military. That is part of the reason I'm not married. But, what else do I need?"

"Nothing I guess. I wouldn't really know. So… whatcha fixing?"

"Just something quick. It is too late to actually fix supper. I hope you like sandwiches," he says as he hands me one.

I nod and we sit down on the couch and eat in silence. I eat mine way before he does and I just stare at him. "Dawn, are you still hungry?" Roy asks me.

"Um, no?" I say because I'm not really sure what to say. I can tell he doesn't have a lot and I don't want to take the few things he does have away.

"You don't have to say that. If you are hungry, go get another and eat it. I can tell you haven't really had a lot to eat lately so eat until you are full."

I go get another and eat it. He gets done before I do this time and he stares at me. I finish mine and then we start to talk.

"Since I know nothing about you, I want to know everything about you so I can keep you safe," Roy says. I put the plate on the coffee table in front of me. I pull my legs up to me on the couch (without my shoes on) and I turn to face Roy.

"Well, you have to be more specific than that. Would you like to know what I ate, where I slept, what they did to me, how they tortured and threatened me, or just what I did to keep them from killing me?" I ask. I feel like crying even thinking about all of my past.

"Just whatever you feel like telling me. I just want to know enough to help you, that's all."

I think about what I am going to tell him. But as I think about it, I don't want to tell him anything. It is so horrible, and even though I know that I can trust him and the others, I just don't want them to think about my past. I want to start a new life. And I don't want them to think badly of me either. "Roy, I can't tell you."

"Why not?" he asks.

"'Cuz I'm scared," I say. "I miss my sis so much. I-I-I don't have anyone I can trust like her." I start to shiver, but I don't cry. I can't cry because I've cried so much already.

Roy scoots over to me and holds me in his arms. "Trust me Dawn. Trust Maes, Ed, Al, all of us. You can trust us, I pro.. Just know you can trust us."

"I want to, but thinking about what she said to Vale before he killed her makes me worry so much. I am so scared that she made a deal with him or he did something to her. I don't want to die Roy. I don't," I say into his chest.

Roy keeps me in his arms and whispers in my ear, "Listen to me. Don't be worried. Your sister trusted us with you and herself. I am going to keep you safe. And you don't have to tell me anything about your past. I can tell it must be hell for you to remember it. And I'm sure it isn't something you should have ever gone through. Just don't be afraid anymore, alright?"

"OK," I say. "But just please don't let me go. I miss my sister and you remind me of her. Your constant nagging and the way you are always there for me. Even the way you treat Ed and Al remind me of her." I snuggle closer to him; feeling his warmth from his body really reminds me of her.

"I'll do whatever you need me to Dawn," Roy says.

We sit here in silence for at least two hours. Just him holding me in his arms, trying to make me feel better. I glance at the clock and see that it is already ten o'clock.

"Roy, it's ten. I think we should go to bed."

Roy lets me go and looks at the clock. "I guess it is. All right, where do you want to sleep? My bed or the couch? Well, maybe you should sleep in my bed and I'll sleep on the couch." Roy gets up and goes to his room. "Are you coming?" he calls.

"Yeah," I say. I get up and walk in there.

"Just let me get my clothes out of here and you can change."

"Into what? I don't have any clothes," I say.

Roy looks at me. "I thought that was what you, Ed and Al went looking for."

"Well, I got this dress," I say.

Roy turns the brightest shade of pink and turns his head quickly. He apparently just noticed. "You look pretty in it. Um…" He digs through his dresser and pulls out a shirt. "You could wear this."

I take it and look at it. It is just a shirt of his that is completely black and really big for me, with a few holes in it, but not in inappropriate places. "Man, this must be a 'holey' shirt of yours. Heh, just kidding. Um, where can I change?" I ask quickly.

"In here if you want, just let me leave and then you can- I said wait until I leave!" Roy shouts.

"What, you haven't seen a girl's bra before?" I say as I throw my bra on his bed. "It isn't like you can see anything. I put the shirt on first stupid. I learned to do that a _long_ time ago."

I watch as he turns his head slowly to me. Once he sees that I am fully dressed (sort of anyway since I am just wearing his long shirt), he turns all the way around, still blushing like a mad man. "What do you mean learned to do that?"

I sit down on the bed and pat for him to sit down beside me. Roy picks the bra up as if it is toxic and moves it. He sits and I deiced to tell him just a little bit of my past.

"When they would kidnap me, they would do unthinkable things to me. I suppose you can consider it rape if you want. I guess that was really what it was. And when I wasn't done that way, I would have to change my clothes in their presence and I did it just like that because it felt so wrong. All of it did, and those things aren't easy to overcome. But Vale never did anything like that to me because I just met him for the first time in twelve years. "

Roy doesn't say anything for a little bit. I wonder what he is thinking. "Dawn, I didn't know that. Your sister never said-"

"She never knew. I didn't have the heart to tell her. I just dealt with it."

"I don't know what to say though. I mean, you are only fourteen. How long has this been going on?"

I look him in the eyes. I see that he is sad and I don't want to make it worse. "I'm tired Roy. I haven't had a-"

"How long Dawn?" he asks again with force.

I sigh. "Since I was four."

"Four?! You were four!" Roy shouts.

"Roy, it isn't a big deal. I'm not hurt or anything."

Roy stares at me. "Not a big deal? It isn't right for you to go through that. Especially at such a young age. Weren't you scared?"

"Of course I was scared, but you can't be scared in my life. Show the slightest bit of fear and your dead. I didn't like it and I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't do anything, Roy. If I were lucky enough to sleep in my own separate room, they would come in there while I was asleep and do it. They didn't care. They enjoyed all of it. And now I can't hardly sleep without that fear."

"Is that why you wouldn't tell me? Are you afraid that I will do that to you?" I look at the floor. I can't look at him now. "Dawn, did you think I would?" Roy holds my hand as he asks.

"It isn't that I thought you might, I thought you were going to. It was just the fact that you were so nice to me. It just scared me. That is why I asked you all those questions, to see if you would. And they didn't help me any. You have to understand how scary all of this is to me, Roy."

Roy squeezes my hand. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. There isn't anything you need to be sorry about. But, can you do me a little favor?" I ask as he goes to get up.

"Hmm? What do you need? A light, some water, or-"

"Can you sleep with me?" I ask.

Roy just about falls to the floor. "S-s-sleep with you?!"

"No, not literally. But could you stay in here. I-I don't want them to get me in the night and then you wake up and find that I'm gone. That's when they come, in the night. Please, I'll sleep on the floor if you'll just stay."

Roy looks at me for a moment. He sits down in his desk chair and puts his elbows on his knees to prop himself up. He reminds me of a little man thinking way too hard.

"Dawn, I guess I can stay in here, but neither of us should sleep on the floor. I have a mice problem and the floors get really cold at night."

"Then that just leaves us.. sleeping in the same… bed," I say feeling a little sick.

"Yeah, so are you _sure_ you can't sleep by yourself?"

"I don't want to go back Roy," I say.

Roy takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. "Then we have no other option." He gets up and leaves the room for a minute or so. When he comes back he has his pajamas on. Well, he really only has a pair of pajama pants on. No shirt. I think I might have gotten that. "We can do this one of two ways; we can sleep on opposite ends of the bed or we can sleep on separate sides of the bed. Which one would be best?"

"Don't ask me. I don't know."

"Then we will try the first one. That way no one can say we slept together. Oh, and you can't tell anyone that neither of us slept on the couch. They might think-"

"I know what they might think." I smile at him a little.

"Oh, well then let's go to bed, all right?"

"All right."

Roy grabs another pillow from his closet and lies down at the bottom of the bed while I lay at the top of the bed. We share the same blanket, which is a little odd, but I know he doesn't have anyone sleep over, or at least I hope not... There is a window to the right of me over the bed. I can see the moon in the sky. It is beautiful the way it rises in the starry sky.

"Are you comfortable, Dawn?" Roy asks.

"Yeah, thanks Roy. I really appreciate it," I say as I close my eyes.

"Goodnight Dawn," he says.

"Night Roy," I say.

_Knock knock. Knock knock. _"Oh, what is that?" I ask as the noise wakes me from my sleep. _Knock knock. Knock knock._ "Roy, who's at the door?" _**Knock knock knock knock.**_ I open my eyes and sit up. Roy isn't awake, so it isn't him. **KNOCK KNOCK.** I hear the noise again and it sounds like it is coming from outside the window. I look at the window and see someone standing out there looking in, and that person is Vale.

"ROY!" I scream. I jump on top of him and cry.

Roy wakes up from my sudden weight on him. "Dawn, Dawn, what's wrong?" he asks frantically. He sits up with me in his arms. **Knock knock.**

"Roy, it's him. He's at the window. Roy, don't let him get me," I half cry, half scream. **Knock knock knock knock.**

"Didn't he hear you scream though? Will he still be out there?" Roy asks me.

"That's the knocking sound. That's what woke me, Roy."

"Stay on this side Dawn," Roy says as he reaches under his pillow and pulls out a gun. "Let me see."

I flop off of him and he crawls to the other side to look out the window.

"Roy, I have to warn you that most of the people like that can change their shape. He might turn himself into something," I say as he hides under the window. I watch as Roy looks out the window. He doesn't say anything or move. I start to crawl over there, but he sticks his hand out to stop me. "What's wrong Roy?" I ask.

"Sleep beside me tonight." He looks at me. "Don't look at the window until I say you can. Do I make myself clear, Dawn?" Roy says with a scary complexion.

"Uh-huh."

Roy shuts the window blinds and grabs my pillow as he crawls back over to this side. I want to ask him if Vale was out there or if it was a bird or something, but I'm afraid to know. I get under the blanket as he stays on top.

"Roy, are you going to sleep like that?" I ask.

Roy looks at me. "No, but I am going to stay up for a little while, just in case you hear another noise."

I wrap my arms around him. Roy flinches so I take my hands offof him because I don't want to make things weirder than they already are. I lay my head down on his chest, though I am sure he would rather I wouldn't.

"Roy, what was it? Am I just seeing things, or was he really there?" I ask.

Roy puts a hand on my head. "Dawn, let's just leave it as you don't need to see. It isn't the fact that he was there, because I didn't see him, but it is the fact of what was there."

"What was there?" I ask.

"He…he wrote something there. In blood. Something you don't need to see," Roy says quietly.

I look up at him and see that he is staring at the ceiling. Now I am terrified. "Roy, maybe I shouldn't be here. I don't want to get you all killed," I say.

"Don't think that. We want to protect you. And I _promise_," Roy says as he looks at me, "that I will stop him and I won't let him hurt you at all."

"Roy, I said-"

"I know what you said. But I _can_ keep this one. If I don't, I hope I die because that just means I can't do anything. Now go to sleep and don't worry about this anymore. You will be fine."

I go to take my head off of his chest, but he keeps his hand there so I can't move it. I decide to fall asleep after a while of listening to see if he would come back and knock again and he didn't. I know Roy hasn't gone to sleep yet, but I'm sure he will after I do.

_Knock knock knock._ "Roy, wake up."_ Knock knock knock._ "Roy, I hear it again."

"Unnn, what?" Roy says as he wakes up.

_Knock knock knock._ "Did you hear it Roy? He came back. Roy-"

"Calm down," Roy says as he pushes me away from him. "Would he really knock on the door? I guess he would if he'd knock on the window, would he?"

"Yes, I think..."

_Knock knock knock knock knock knock._ Roy gets up and gets his gun. "Dawn stay here," he says.

"No, please let me come with you," I beg.

"Fine."

Roy opens his bedroom door, with me right behind him, and we walk to the front door. He has his gun loaded, pointed at the door as he unlocks the door. As soon as it is unlocked, he opens it quickly and points it at the person standing there.

**Sorry it's been a while since I updated. I've had school work and other stuff going on. Ever tried building the T.A.R.D.I.S. as a cake? It is _extremely _difficult, but it is fun being the Doctor for a day. Anyway, thanks for being patient for this chapter. I will do my best to update sooner in the future. Please leave a review if you like it. It would mean a lot to me. THANKS~!**


	5. Unbearable Truth

"Roy, what the hell are you doing?" Maes shouts as Roy points the gun in his face.

"Maes?" Roy says. He lowers his gun and lets Maes come in. He shuts the door and locks it back.

"What are you still doing here? Why aren't you at work? Everyone is worried that something happened to you two. And where were you? I have been knocking for a long time," Maes says.

"Sorry," Roy says and yawns. "Something happened last night and I just couldn't sleep."

I look at him. "I thought you weren't going to worry about that."

"I'm sorry, but it scared the shit out of me if you want to know the truth," Roy says.

"What are you talking about?" Maes asks.

"Last night," I begin, "I heard someone knocking on the window. I opened my eyes and saw Roy was still asleep so I looked out the window-"

"Wait, you two slept in the same bed?" Maes asks.

"Let her explain this first and then you'll understand why," Roy says. Maes nods and I continue.

"Well, I looked out the window and there he was. Vale was out there knocking on the window. I screamed and jumped on top of Roy. He got his gun and went to look, but once he looked, he didn't say anything. He just stared out the window. Then he wouldn't let me look and we went back to sleep, just on the same side of the bed." I sit down on the couch and stare down at the floor.

"Are you alright Dawn after all that?" Roy asks.

"He could have gotten me. It wouldn't have been too hard for him. Shit, he could have gotten me," I say into my hands.

Maes and Roy sit down on opposite sides of me. They both put a hand on my shoulder to try to make me feel better, but it doesn't help much.

"Dawn, I'm sorry he did that to you last night," Maes says. "But I have to ask, what does he want with you?"

I move my hands to my knees and I look at the blank TV. "I-I honestly don't know. Sister never told me why they were after me. She just said to always be strong and wait until she came to save me." I look to Maes and then to Roy. "I know you must think I am crazy, but I think it has something to do with the fact I could use alchemy at such a young age. If you remember, the problems didn't start until after that day."

Roy and Maes both stand up. Roy stretches and looks at me. "I suppose that is why your sister took care of you by herself. She must have known something. Damn, if only…"

I look to the ground. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Maes asks.

"For not knowing anything. I don't know a thing about any of my past or my own life."

Maes crouches down in front of me and pats my head. "Stop being so hard on yourself. It isn't your fault. None of this is your fault. You did what your sister told you to do, right?"

"That's all I've ever done. I had no one else to listen tell me anything. But now, I don't have anyone," I say.

"Stop it Dawn," Roy says. He hit's the back of my head and I almost smack him, but Maes stops me. "You have all of us. You will always have all of us. I know it is hard, but you have to trust us. If you don't there isn't much we can do to help you."

"OK," I mumble. "Um, neither of you would happen to have an extra pair of girl clothes with you, would you?" I ask as I realize I am still in Roy's shirt and my other clothes are dirty.

They both look at each other. "I brought a dress that Gracia can't wear because I thought you might need some clothes. Will it do?" Maes asks as he hands it to me out of his jacket.

I hold it in my hands. It is a pretty yellow color. The dress is made of a soft fabric and has a few sparkles around the end of the dress. It doesn't have any straps, though, which makes me wonder how it will stay up. Dresses don't always work for me. "I think it'll be fine, thank you." I hug Maes and I rush off to Roy's bedroom to change.

I shut the door and turn the lights on. I take off his shirt, toss it aside, find my bra (that he threw halfway across the room) and change into the dress. I look for a mirror and realize that there is a full body mirror on his door. I notice, as I look at myself that it looks weird with my bra on since it is strapless, so I slip my bra off. "Man, I look good in this," I say. I twirl around and just about kill myself as I trip over the shirt I threw down earlier. "Crap, guess I better pick it-"

Suddenly I notice a red glare out of my peripheral vision on the mirror. I look to the mirror and see that the glare is coming from the window over the bed. "Hmm…" I put the shirt down, hop on the bed, and reach for the window. Then I remember that Roy said not to look, but what could be so bad compared to what I have already seen? I ignore the little nagging conscience in my head and pull the blinds up. As soon as the Sun's glare disappears, I freeze.

"ROY!" I scream.

A few seconds go by, if even that, when Roy and Maes bust through the door, both with a gun in their hands. Roy drops his gun and glares at me. "Dawn, what do you think you are doing?!" he shouts at me.

"I… I wanted to know…what it…what it said, Roy," I cry.

"I told you-"

"I know what you told me, but I had to know," I say. I look away from the window to Roy and I feel like passing out. "How is it this is…How could he be…How is sister…Roy…" I feel light headed and I fall to the floor…

"Dawn, wake up," someone says.

"Let her rest Ed," another person speaks.

"But I want to know if she is OK," Ed says.

"She is exhausted Ed. I know she is. We couldn't sleep last night because of what happened."

"Roy," I say slowly and quietly with my eyes shut, "Roy, I-I want to…"

"What is it you want, Dawn? Ed or I will get it," Roy says.

I move my hand to my forehead and notice that there is a rag there. "Tell me if it's true," I say.

I hear someone get up and walk closer to me. I feel too sick to open my eyes, so I will just assume it is Roy until I hear him speak.

"Listen, we don't have anything on records about any of you. Maes took a sample of the blood, though, and he took some of yours as well. We won't know until next week. Can you wait that long?" Roy asks.

"I can, but he can't," I say.

"Who?" Ed asks.

"Vale," I say.

"Oh, so, to get this straight, Vale and Marice had you and now Vale is trying to take you back?" Edward asks.

"Ed, I don't know. It isn't even possible that she is my mother. She was only four years older than I am. Unless she has been lying to me my whole life… Someone please tell me that isn't what has just happened," I mutter.

"Dawn, we don't know. I'm sure Vale is just trying to get under your skin. Let it go," Roy says.

I jerk the rag off my head, sit up, and open my eyes. I throw it at him and scream, "HOW THE HELL CAN I LET IT GO ROY?!"

Roy walks over to me and pushes me back down on the couch. "Shut up and rest. If you don't, you won't be able to fight him if he comes back," he says.

"I thought that was what you were for?" I say mockingly.

"No…" Roy puts the rag on my forehead and walks away. "I am going to protect you, but if there is a time when I can't, you will have to."

I don't say anything. I shut my eyes and turn my head away from him.

"Dawn, don't get pissed because-"

"Because of what? And I'm not pissed, I'm just… I just feel bad." I look at him and I feel like crying. "I don't know if you can handle this. My sister… She could hardly handle it sometimes. I'd be gone maybe four months before she would save me." I laugh softly. "Four months, Roy. Four months of who knows what," I say. I let a tear fall, and then I can't stop the rest. I sit up and wrap my arms around my legs. "Just make it all end. I'll do anything you want me to if you will just make it end."

"Heeeeeyyyyy, why are you so close to him?" Ed asks.

I look at him through tears and smile, a funny joke materializing in my mind. "'Cuz he's my lover, Ed."

"Wha-what?" Ed asks.

"WHHHHHAAAAATTTTT?" Roy yells.

I laugh, wiping away the tears in my eyes. "Man, you guys are so fun to mess with."

Ed and Roy look at me like I'm insane, but I don't care anymore. I'm just glad they don't look at me as if they want me for something. I hate that look. It's awful.

"So, I heard that, um, you, uh…" Ed starts to blush.

I look at him and smile. "You heard what Ed? That I'm insane?"

Ed shakes his head. "That you like puppies. Is that right?"

I look shocked. "How did you know that?" I ask.

"So he was right," he whispers. "Well, I got you one," Ed says cheerily.

"Really?" I ask, excitement rising in my voice.

"Yeah, just let me go get it," he says as he rushes out of the room.

Roy and I stare at each other. "Do you think he really got me a puppy?" I ask.

"Yeah, I really do. But I am _not_ going to take care of it. You can do that," Roy says as he walks over to his desk. He sits down and goes straight for his paperwork. _Lame!_ I get up and try to stand, but I fall back on to the couch. "Dawn, are you OK?" he asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit dizzy, that's all," I say.

"All right." He goes back to his paperwork and ignores me.

I wait for Ed's return, which is taking forever. Or at least it seems like that. I ponder about what it looks like. Is it big and fluffy, or maybe it's small and sweet. I hope it is something cute. I just love cute puppies!

The door opens and in comes a black fluffy puppy. "Ohhhhh! It's soooo cute!" I scream as it runs over to me. I pick it up and it begins to lick me.

"Do you like it, Dawn?" Ed asks.

I look at him through all the dog fur (it had gotten on top of me) and smile. "Yes, I love it Edward. Thank you so much." He starts to blush and I giggle. "Now, what shall I call you?" I say to the puppy.

"Why don't you call him Sparky?" Roy suggests.

I look at him. "Sparky? What are you, five?"

Ed laughs and Roy gives him a 'go to hell' look. "Well, can you think of anything?" he asks Ed.

Ed stops laughing and thinks for a minute. "Hmm, well, you could call _her_," he says, stressing her because Roy calls her him, "Daisy, or Rose, or Star, or anything you'd like. She is yours."

I think for a moment. "What about May?"

"I like that one," Ed says.

"As do I. Why did you choose May, though?" Roy asks me.

"I chose it because… that was my other dog's name," I say trying hard to remember the good things and not the bad.

"Oh, I forgot you had another dog," Ed says as May jumps off me and runs to the door. The door opens and Maes walks in.

"How are you guy's doin'?" he asks in his usual manner.

"Look at my puppy," I say.

Maes looks down and practically melts when May looks at him. He picks her up and cuddles her. "You're so cute! Yes you are! Yes you are!"

Roy sighs. "I swear Maes, you are crazy," he says as he looks at him.

"I can't help it. She is just soooooo adorable!" Maes exclaims.

"Hey, can you watch her for a little bit?" I ask.

"Where do you think you're going, Dawn?" Roy asks me.

"I want to go practice with Ed," I say. "Even though I _am_ pretty great at what I do, everyone has different things and opinions when it comes to this stuff."

Roy laughs and looks at Ed. "All right, go. Just don't wreck everything," he says.

Ed rushes out first, and then I follow in behind him. We run down the stairs and out the doors to the back of the command center where they have some kind of test area. I can't hear what Ed is saying since he is ahead of me, but I notice that Al is already waiting for us.

"Hey, what took you guys so long?" Alphonse asks us.

"I had to give her the puppy, Al," Ed says.

"Did you like it, Dawn?" Al asks me.

I smile as I stand next to Ed. "Yes, I loved it. It was so nice for you guys to get me a puppy. I just adore animals!" I say.

"Enough of talkin' 'bout that pup. Let's get some practice in!" Edward shouts.

Ed rushes over to one side and I stay on mine. We both glare at each other for a moment, and then I clap my hands and touch them to the ground…

I'm bent over and can't catch my breath. They both had me running like a chicken. "Phew, I thought you guys were gonna kill me," I say.

"We almost killed you?!" Ed shouts.

I look up at Al and Ed and remember that I had left them up in the air from where I raised the ground. "Hehe, sorry," I say with little voice. I walk over to the pillar and draw a transmutation circle on it.

"Hey, why are you drawin' a transmutation circle?" Ed asks.

"You'll see," I say as I finish. I clap my hands and touch it with a single finger and it turns into a giant slide. They both slide down it and hit the ground. Ed jumps up and glares at me while Al takes his time standing up. "What?" I ask.

"You just fought us without using transmutation circles so why did you just use one?" Ed asks.

"Oh!" I laugh. "I only use transmutation circles for small or delicate things. I don't like to use them for anything else because they take so long to draw."

Ed shrugs his shoulders. "I guess that's fair."

Al laughs. "She is way smarter and tougher than you, brother," he says.

Ed gets pissed and starts yelling at him, but I decide to quietly walk away from them and look around Central Command to see what kind of things there are to do here. I take off into the building and stroll down a few hallways as I run into Hawkeye.

"Oh, hello Dawn," Riza says.

"Hi Riza! Oh, is it OK if I call you Riza?" I ask.

Riza smiles. "Of course it is. So, what are you doing alone?" she asks me with a cruel look.

"Heh, well, I-I was just looking around 'cuz Ed and Al keep arguing and I got tired of listening to it," I say as quickly as possible.

Riza giggles. "They are always doing that. It's just how they are."

I shrug my shoulders. "Hey, can I ask you something?" I ask her. She nods her head and we begin to walk. "It-it's about Roy," I begin.

"What about him?" she asks with a quizzical look.

"Why does Roy act the way he does around me?"

Riza sighs and looks at me. "I want to know the answer as well, but he won't tell anyone. He only says it's because of your sister."

"Oh, so it involves my sister," I huff. "Well, can we go outside?" I ask since there is no more information to obtain.

"Yeah, I'm not doing anything," she says with a smile.

We head outside the front doors and walk down the long steps. By the time we get to the bottom of the stairs, I am completely out of breath. I soon regain my strength, though, and we walk around town for a little while. Riza and I go into a lot of clothing stores and she helps me get like a million clothes.

As we head back to Central, I notice something odd about a person across the street. "Hey, Riza, do you see that guy over there?" I ask her.

Riza looks over and stops. "Dawn, listen to me. We need to get somewhere very quickly so he doesn't see us," she says as she drags me down a different street. We walk a ways before we stop. Riza pulls her phone out and calls Roy.

"Roy," Riza says, "we have a problem."

"What?" I hear Roy ask.

"Vale is here," she whispers.

"What?" I ask. I look around frantically to find Vale, but I can't see him through all the people.

"Get back here right now," Roy's voice yells through the phone.

"I'm afraid we are further away from Command that I meant for us to be," Riza says as she glances around.

"Fine. I'll call Maes and tell him to find you. He is closer than I am right now. Stay put unless you can see Vale. But stay around people, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Riza says. She closes her phone and looks at me. "Do you see him anywhere?"

I shake my head. "I don't see him at all. Do you think he would come after me in public?" I ask her.

"Oh, I might," a deep male voice says behind me. My body begins to shake as I see Riza's face turn to horror and hot breath on the back of my neck. I slowly turn my head to see the person behind me, hoping and praying that it isn't Vale. "Hello, Stone," Vale says.

"No," I mutter.

I hear something click, so I look out of the corner of my eye at Riza and see that she has her gun pointed at Vale. "Get away from her," she says.

I look back to Vale, at the same time, I see that there are no people around us. I feel his hand on my shoulder. "No, I think I will take her with me this time since I didn't get her last night."

"No!" I scream as I jab my elbow into his stomach, thrusting myself towards Riza for cover.

"Get behind me," Riza says. I do so as quickly as possible. Just as I am behind her, Riza starts to shoot Vale, but this time the glowing shield isn't there protecting him from the bullets. As the bullets hit him in the chest, Riza grabs my arm and pulls me in the opposite direction.

"Riza," I cry, "what are we going to do?"

Riza looks back at me. "Run until Maes finds us."

Not to bad of an idea, but who knows what Vale is capable of. We quickly take a left down a street full of people and make our way through all of them. I glance behind us and find that Vale is only ten yards away from us. "He's behind us!" I scream at Riza.

Riza nods her head and stops, pushing me in front of her. "Keep running until you find Maes. Run as fast as you can and don't look back."

"But-" I cry.

"RUN!" Riza yells at me.

I nod and start running. _I have to find Maes. I have to find Maes!_ I run a few blocks a turn right, bumping into someone.

"Who the hell?" I ask angrily. I look up to find that the person I ran in to was Maes. "Maes!" I cry as I hug him. "He got Riza."

Maes wraps his arms around me. "Come on. I've gotta get you back to Roy. He is only a few streets away."

Maes grabs my hand and drags me down the street. I glance behind me to see if Vale is close by, but I don't see him. But the last time I didn't see him, he was so close that he could have killed me.

"Roy!" Maes shouts. I snap out of my thoughts and see Roy and everyone else with him. "I found her."

Maes lets go of me and I run to Roy. I wrap my arms around him and cry. "Roy, Riza stayed behind to slow him down. You have to save her."

Roy pries me off him and stares in to my eyes. "Your safety comes first."

"But why?" I cry.

Roy looks behind me. "Get behind me, now," he orders.

I look behind me to see what he was looking at and I see that Vale is coming. Roy pushes me behind him fiercely. Maes stands beside Roy, along with Havock, Fuery, Breda, and Falman.

"Dawn," Ed says in my ear, "are you hurt?"

I shake my head. "No, I'm fine thanks to Riza."

Ed puts his right hand on my left shoulder. "She's strong. Don't worry about her."

I half smile at Ed. "OK."

"Vale," Roy shouts, making me look back to him, "what do you think you are doing?"

Vale laughs. "I could ask you the same thing, Roy Mustang."

"How… How did you know his name?" I ask Vale.

"Dawn, shut up," Al says.

"No," I say.

"Stone, it doesn't matter how I know. All you need to know is that if you want them to live, you better come with me or they will all share the same fate as your sister did," Vale says.

"Don't listen to him," Maes shouts at me, still facing Vale. "We won't let that happen."

"Oh, I know," I say.

Vale clenches his jaw. "You think you are strong enough to protect her?" he asks, anger clear in his voice.

Roy laughs. "Of course. We made a promise to Marice a long time ago that we wouldn't let you get her."

Another laugh escapes Vale's twisted smile. "Do you know who I am to you and your sister then, Dawn?" he asks.

I make a fist and push past Roy and Maes, but they both grab my arms and keep me from going after Vale. "It isn't true! My sister wouldn't keep that from me!" I yell at him.

"Dawn, get back," Roy says.

"Oh, but it is true Dawn," Vale says.

"No it isn't!" I scream, trying to get away from Maes and Roy.

"Dawn!" Maes yells. "Stop this now!"

"I am your father, and Marice is your mother," Vale says. I stop trying to break away from Roy and Maes.

"Liar," I say. "You are lying."

"Then explain the color of your hair and your eyes. Explain why you have only now met me. Can you?" Vale asks teasingly.

I grit my teeth and look at the ground because I don't have an answer. There is no answer to his question that can deny that I look like him.

"Vale, you have one chance to get out of here," Roy says, bringing his hand up with his pointer finger and thumb together.

"Not without my child," Vale say cruelly.

I glare at Vale, my face hot with anger. "Never," I say.

Vale frowns and Roy snaps his fingers. Fire darts away from his hand towards Vale, clashing with his shield on contact. As the flames burn out, Vale is gone.

"That bastard," Ed shouts as he stands behind me.

"I agree," I say. I pull away from Roy and Maes and walk to where Vale was standing. "I'll kill you," I say aloud. "I _will_ make you pay for everything you have done."

**Thanks for reading chapter 5. I tried to put some action in this chapter, but I don't know if it was what all of you were expecting. Just to warn you readers, I've got some twists up my sleeve for this story. Hopefully none of you can figure it all out before I get to it. Thanks for reading, if you have time and feel like it leave a review, they are GREATLY appreciated, and keep reading if you like the story!**


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